Lonely
by Hopeful Writer
Summary: Severus has fallen in love... with a student. Maybe not the most original fic, but it has an original twist at the end and a good plot. Please read.


Disclaimer: No real need for this. The idea of me owning Harry Potter is a joke. I can't write nearly as good as JKR.

A/N – Another inspiration by Indarae. Great author, absolutely brilliant. Anyway, this story is my first story about Severus Snape. He's fallen in love—with a student. Is it possible? Will it work? Guess you'll just have to read to find out.

Shout outs to Dreamer4, Dark Gamer, Light Gamer, EeyoreP, SaturnsChild, Knight, EvilTenchi, Galassos Gal 124, PhoniexChild, TogetherAgain, Wolfie, Arylwren, Archangeluk, Digicowboy, Blackout12, Phire Phoenix, Insane Friend 02, sweetchick08079, Authormon, alfogamer2, Takari's Baybee, Immia, AlexPG13, DJ Clue, and shadow2k.

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Lonely

By: Hopeful Writer

Professor Severus Snape of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry swore aloud. How had he allowed himself to sink this low? Not only to fall in love, but to fall in love with a _student_, and a Gryffindor at that.

Unfortunately for Severus, Professor Minerva McGonagall came to his dungeon at that exact moment, with an urgent need to talk to him about his behavior of the recent. "Good afternoon, Severus," she greeted dryly, studying him, always studying him.

Severus couldn't even manage the wry grin that was usually reserved for her. He didn't mind Minerva as much as one would think. There were other teachers that were far worse, such as that idiot Professor Sprout. "Afternoon, Minerva. What brings you down to my lovely abode?" His voice dripped with sarcasm as he indicated his small, cold, dungeon room.

"I meant to talk to you about the way you've been acting. You've been distant, Severus. Worse than normal, I mean. You don't even come to meetings anymore."

"I've had a lot on my mind. Classes, potions, that sort of thing." Severus made sure to focus on his papers as he said that.

Minerva laughed, forcing Severus's eyes to meet her amused ones. "Severus, if I'm not mistaken, you are not concentrating on anything except a certain person. I haven't the faintest idea who, mind you, but you are most clearly in love. Even Albus has you figured out by now."

Severus sank into his chair. "Is it that obvious?" he asked, his voice somewhat squeaky and strangled.

Minerva laughed again. "Yes. Who is she?"

Severus hid his face in his hands. "I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because she's a student!" he yelled finally.

Minerva's jaw dropped. She tried to collect herself and failed. "A... a student?" she whispered. "Severus... Severus, you... you can't be... serious."

He hid his face in his hands again and let out a noise that sounded strangely like a moan. "Minerva, you _have_ to help me. What am I supposed to do? How can I get my concentration back? Why is this happening to me?" The last question seemed more directed at some unseen force than the Transfiguration professor.

Minerva touched Severus's arm lightly and his head snapped up. She was shocked to see tears streaming from his eyes shamelessly. "What do I do, Minerva?" he whispered.

"I... I don't know, Severus. I just don't know. This isn't a situation I would normally be part of. I don't _do_ love, Severus. I'm not in love, I've never been in love, at the rate I'm going I'll never be in love." Minerva was on the brink of tears herself. "Who is she, Severus? I can't help you without at least knowing that."

Severus's face found its way back into his hands. "Granger," he muttered, his voice almost inaudible. 

Minerva hid her smile. "Well, _she_ certainly doesn't know."

"Don't rub it in."

"Severus, there isn't much to do but tell her. Granger is... a unique girl. Most of the Gryffindors hate you. She... she doesn't. I can't figure her out. You know I can read people, Severus, but, well, she's different. Very different."

Severus looked at her face carefully for a moment. "She looks like you, you know," he mused. "I don't know why, or how even, but she does."

Minerva's cold, calculating eyes warmed for a moment. For a single, timeless moment, Severus could understand her, could tap into her soul. "She… she's yours, isn't she?" he demanded gently.

"That," Minerva stated firmly, "is a story for another time, when both you and her are present. Work yourself out of one mess before you get involved in another, Severus. If I've learned anything from all my years, it's that."

Severus looked into her eyes, reading her, studying her, trying to find her hidden message. None emerged and he realized he was going to have to tell his _student_ that he was in love with her. Oh, God. He was in love with a Gryffindor student. What was the world coming too?

* - * - *

"Seventh year Gryffindors, ten minutes," Severus mumbled to himself. _I have to do something now, _he thought. _I have to tell her today. It's been seven years already. I've got to end this soon. Otherwise I'll never hear the end of it from Minerva._

Severus took no great pleasure in deducting points from Gryffindor today. He sent them to work on their potions immediately, then focused on the small task he had planned for himself. An old spell, from his school days. He'd been quite the studious one in his day, always eager to learn more. He had taken the appearance of a smart-aleck though, the same as Granger did. He sighed. The similarities were too obvious too deny. He could only hope she felt the same way.

Anyway. He concentrated on the familiar spell, unused for many years. Back when he was in school, he'd use this spell with a few of his close friends, his only friends. He could speak in their minds, talk to them so only they could hear. If the students nowadays studied harder, he was sure they would learn this too. It was such a simple way to pass notes. Yes, on occasion Severus had spotted a few Ravenclaws doing what seemed to be the spell, but he had no easy way of knowing. Truth potions were too dramatic for this type of thing, and the revealing curse was rather a bother when it was easier to ignore it. 

Severus tapped his wand once, twice, three times and focused his site on Hermione and Hermione alone. His concentrated on the words, "Granger, stay after class. We must talk."

He saw her eyes register the words. She glanced quickly at him then turned back to her potion and her friends. Potter and Weasley. Severus sighed. He didn't really hate Potter. He just _had_ to take points away from him. If not, the students would think he was being biased due to the celebrity status.

Severus glanced at Ron Weasley. Weasley, he hated. What with his pathetic crush on Granger and his lackluster study habits, what was there to like? Sure, Potter and Granger could stand him, and maybe some other Gryffindors, but that was all. The teachers, especially, disliked his short attention span greatly.

Class ended, both too slow and too quickly for Severus's liking. The class moved out in a rush, glad to be free. Severus could remember the feeling, leaving after a long class in the cold dungeon. He'd loved potions, but he'd never liked the aura the dungeon gave off, the cold, lonely feeling. 

"Hey, Hermione, you coming?" Weasley asked, when Granger didn't follow him and Potter.

Granger faltered for a moment before replying, "I have a question about the test we took the other day. I'll meet up with you in the Great Hall."

Potter and Weasley shrugged and left, Weasley muttering something about her taking her studies too seriously. As if there was such a thing.

Granger looked at Severus curiously. "You wanted me to stay, sir?" she asked quietly, somewhat puzzled and slightly fearful. She sat in a chair, while he sat at his desk.

Severus sighed, then sighed again. "Yes. There is an important matter than I wish too discuss with you, one that I have been avoiding for seven years now." Now she looked more than curious. "I only want to say this once and I will not repeat myself." He paused to swallow hard. "Even to my own mind this sounds foolish and childish, but I can no longer deny it. I… I have fallen in love with you."

A flush of color found its way to his pale cheeks, and Severus turned to the papers on his desk to avoid looking at Hermione. When he dared to steal a glance at her, her mouth was slightly agape and her eyes were a mix of trouble and intrigue and something else that Severus couldn't place. She finally spoke. "I, um, well, wow. I mean, I… I didn't think you… you'd _ever_ like me back, love me back, whatever. I mean, I guess what I'm trying to say is, as odd and preposterous as this may sound, I… I love _you_."

Severus didn't register. He stared at her for nearly 20 seconds before croaking, "Well, I'm glad you're graduating this year. Won't look good with a student and teacher together." And the breath he'd been holding came out.

Hermione smiled. "Do I get to stop calling you Professor now?" she asked eagerly.

"Not until you graduate," Severus teased, laughing. His throat cracked in the effort. He hadn't laughed in years.

* - * - *

The term ended, as each before it did. Ron and Harry graduated with good marks, Hermione with top marks. Minerva offered Hermione a job as the new Potions Master. "What's happening to Professor Snape?" the girl asked worriedly, not knowing that Minerva knew about their budding romance.

Minerva smiled. "He's been given the job as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Hermione beamed. "It's about time," she commented dryly, and Minerva laughed.

Severus called Hermione and Minerva to his new office one day, before the new term began. He remembered the conversation between himself and Minerva before his confession, where she'd hinted at being Hermione's mother. He wanted the full story out of her, and told her so.

Minerva took a breath. "Yes, yes, the story. You both should sit down." They obliged and she continued, "Long ago I met a wizard named David. He was as good a person as could be found in those days, times of darkness, back when the Dark Lord was still rising to power. We became close, romantically close. I won't embarrass you with the details, but he impregnated me—and revealed a shocking secret. He was a Death Eater. He left me, obviously." Minerva took a moment to call David every bad name she could think of, shocking both Hermione and Severus. "With nothing left to do, I turned to a Muggle friend of mine, who did not know I was a witch. His name was William Granger." Hermione gasped. "He had recently married, and his wife was pregnant too. He watched after both of us. Then the unexpected happened. Diane had a miscarriage. They were both devastated. I made the decision that, when my baby was born, I would let them legally adopt it. I could not raise a baby, especially teaching at Hogwarts. It would grow up as a Muggle, then come to Hogwarts when it was ready. That baby… was _you_, Hermione."

Hermione sat rigid, as if in a body-bind. She could only think of two questions to ask. "So you're my mother?" she questioned, making sure she was right about all this.

"Yes."

"You said you'd never been in love," Severus accused, cutting Hermione off from asking her second question.

Minerva snorted. "This wasn't love," she told him. "It was one night that got out of control."

Snape snickered. "Minerva lost control. A very rare occurrence in deed."

"Severus..."

Hermione watched them both. "So, if Severus and I got married, he would be your son-in-law?" she asked Minerva.

"Hermione!" they chorused, laughing.

"Yes," Minerva added. "So now I should give him a lecture on how to treat my daughter."

"Aw, come on," Severus whined, sounding very much like a five year old.

"Are you okay with this, Hermione?" Minerva asked seriously.

Hermione shrugged. "Bit of a shock," she admitted, "but I'm all right. Thanks for telling me though."

"It was time," Minerva told her. "Now, how about a game of chess, Severus?"

"So long as you can take losing another game without flipping over the chessboard again," he joked.

"You're on," she challenged. They walked to the Great Hall, cheerfully egging each other on. Hermione followed happily.

And in the shadows, Albus Dumbledore watched the three teachers with a smile. All three had been so lonely. It was good that they found each other.

*END*

A/N - Why am I so bad at endings? Argh! Well, other than that, I hope the story wasn't too bad. Please review. Flames accepted, criticism appreciated, compliments worshipped. If you have any questions, leave an email address and I will get back to you. If you don't want to review, but you still want to talk to me, write me at lildreamer12@hotmail.com.

§--HW--§ (http://www.geocities.com/msbjewel)


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